The McGill memorial match was blessed with fantastic weather. Great to see so many Crossers from the past down at Arbo. An enjoyable game that ended in a sporting draw-McGill would have approved. His ashes now lie across the Arbo square, which he did so much work on. Cheers again to Shifty for all his efforts in getting the game organised. It was great that Anne could be there for the ashes spreading.
John McPartlin's wonderful tribute to Colin and the club he loved and served.
https://blogfeast.wordpress.com/2021/07/25/a-sadly-smoke-free-zone/
Mark Robertson.
Murrayfield-Dafs IIs vs Holy Cross Is - at Roseburn (29.5.21).
A day on which the deteriorating weather reflected the fortunes of Holy Cross. From glorious afternoon sunshine the match ended in dank gloom. I initially regretted not having any sunscreen...by the end I was shivering.
I arrived at Roseburn as Murrayfield-Dafs IIs reached 50 odd for 2, with some slightly wayward bowling apparently helping their cause. The bowling tightened up and the batsman attempted some overambitious lofted shots on what appeared to be a tricky damp pitch (unsurprisingly so given the exceptionally wet May we've had). In general, the catching and fielding by a young looking Cross side was extremely sound and though there were a couple of missed run outs (and one catch put down off Ben at square leg), Murrayfield-Dafs subsided quickly to 76 for 8. Some late runs from Rathod helping Murrayfield-Dafs rally to reach 99ao and giving his side something approaching a defendable total on this sluggish and tricky pitch.
Newcomer Dougie bowled with some decent pace and generally an impressively full length, though there were a couple of beamers. Ben bowled very steadily with his rhythmical action and ended with the best figures-2/15 off 8. Nipun taking 2/19 with his slow left-armers. 3 run outs helped HX close out the innings.
There was a generally optimistic air at tea with the sense for the chase would be tricky but manageable. Euan felt that the batting was 'strong' and a steady start by a watchful Calum and a relatively fluent Nipun (playing a couple of nice pulls for 4) took the score 21-0 in the 9th over. Ross was looking forward to the openers knocking off the runs and getting into the Murrayfield Hotel. After somehow avoiding a run out (both Calum and Nipun were the same end for a few seconds), Nipun was bowled. Calum was out sweeping ('terrible shot selection' he admitted afterwards) & BAF (lbw) following soon after. 23-3 and the pitch and the chase both looking far trickier. The Murrayfield-Dafs' bowling really tightened up at this point, exploiting the inconsistent bounce well.
After Euan was well caught at square leg & Ross out lbw, HX were 37-5 and clear second favourites. Tom was still there anchoring the innings well and a 26 run partnership got HX back in with a realistic chance. Tom was bowled by one that jagged and kept particularly low ('how I am I supposed to play that?!') and when Chinta was -after a promising start- bowled in similar fashion the game was almost up. HX's last 5 wickets going down rather meekly for 12 runs. Mitchell (looking like a right-armed version of Faudhouse's Alan McDonald) taking 4-23 for the home side.
A disappointing result for HX after a loss in another close match the week before. However, it was good to see a good spirit in the team and plenty of youthful energy. Hopefully results will pick up soon- they travel down to the Borders next week to take on Hawick & Wilton.
Match report by Charlie Ellis
It's a year since the club lost a legendary figure, Colin McGill. Here are some photos of him in action in his latter years. Mainly taken by Mark Brown (and one by James Pope). The photos give a good insight into Coco's character.
They should have written a novel about him.
Brian Palmer, who died last week, was my cricketing team mate at Holy Cross Academicals for over two decades and was, in so many ways, a unique character.
For those who played against him he was instantly unforgettable – battered panama hat, baggy Aran sweater almost to his knees, and a joyful RP accent which would ring out delightfully in places as diverse as Myreside and Armadale, Fauldhouse and Falkland.
When he first came to play for Cross, his appearance – the result of long hair and some Chinese heritage, allied to our well known eclectic recruitment approach – led to some puzzlement: “Have you lot got an Eskimo playing for you now?”
But – and these are strange times to make such a reference – he was one of a breed of slightly dishevelled, witty, and intellectually sharp, English public schoolboys who tend to inspire affection rather than disdain, because their style is underpinned by a basic kindness, tolerance and empathy. He was, in the language he would have used himself, a decent bloke, and you could not help but value his company and enjoy his wisdom.
In one game, he was fielding at short midwicket, when a full blooded pull shot went over his shoulder, whistling past his ear. He never flinched – indeed never showed any indication that he was aware of the ball’s passage. It was only when he became slowly aware of the verbally expressed disappointment of bowler and team mates that he stirred himself.
“Sorry, Skip – I was thinking about life!”
His batting betrayed some solid coaching – probably at Cheltenham School, and as a bowler, always with shirt sleeves remaining buttoned, he gave little away. However, the energy required for athletic fielding was largely beyond him.
As a captain, he was tactically aware and a good man manager – up to a point. His philosophical approach to the game often led to a period of reflection and self absorption after he was out, especially if it was a cheap dismissal, which he often referred to as “like losing the love of a good woman”. While we may have been waiting for some strategic advice, he would amble away to a distant spot on the boundary where he would remain for a time, hunched over in thought, puffs of smoke rising from the inevitable roll up, as he considered the vagaries of fate. Our resident voluble Yorkshireman would berate him “We wanted your instructions but you were away in Eeyore’s Gloomy Place”. The reply to this would be a tolerant smile.
This interplay between Yorkshire and Hampshire revealed all of Brian’s noble patience. Often wincing at the volume and crass nature of the remarks which issued forth, Brian would occasionally mutter a quiet “Oh, really!” with raised eyes, but more often enjoy a quiet chortle at the wit employed.
After our playing days were over, half a dozen of us instituted a regular dinner date. We originally entitled ourselves the “Old Farts”, but Brian re-named us the “Old Bores” – typically more tasteful but just as accurate.
Brian would organise menu and drinks for those meals which were hugely enjoyable, involving reminiscence, wit and friendship, all of which Brian, quiet by nature, greatly appreciated, even though they became more raucous as the night went on. He would sit there, eyes twinkling, quietly enthused by the comradeship he had engendered.
And, against the odds, often these get togethers took on a more reflective tone – celebrating our years together, remembering those we had lost, and sometimes developing more serious themes. Brian’s account of the VC his father won, in the Great War at Courcellette on the Somme, held the table in awe – his wonderment at his dad’s bravery demonstrating his ongoing affection for the father he lost when he was very young.
Like cricket itself, those meals were a heady coming together of celebrations – of friendship, memories, life choices, the profane and the emotional, the funny and the sad. Part of Brian’s talent was that he had the skill and humility to be a gentle enabler of such an all encompassing mixture – of people and subjects.
Brian was a writer as well as a university lecturer, and his writing mirrored his character – moving, witty, articulate and insightful – all skills which were verbally mirrored perfectly in his tour de force after dinner speeches. We would often swap pieces we had written and his comments would be kind, positive, accurate and inevitably helpful. On and off the cricket field he was not a man to flatter, but his praise carried the weight of intelligence and integrity.
But I suppose my main reason for writing this tribute comes from my appreciation of his kindness – and in particular one such incident that brought me great joy.
Like most of our generation, we were romantic about the game of cricket, its traditions and its lore. I had often talked with him about the game’s origins at Broadhalfpenny Down at Hambledon in Hampshire – Brian’s home turf as it were. Having relations in the area I had actually visited the ground once and been awed by its untamed position on the edge of the downs, the Bat and Ball pub still overlooking the field. “Imagine playing there in the steps of all those early pioneers!” we used to muse through the years.
Well, with his local connections, Brian eventually organised a tour of Hampshire and the south west for Holy Cross, and though I could not make the entire week, he made sure I would play at Hambledon.
It was a surreal experience – to step out on to the rough turf where the game I loved had been played for centuries. In the dressing room before the game, Brian and I caught each other’s eye. “Oh God,” he said, “I’ve never been this nervous before a game in my life.” I was feeling exactly the same and it was a lovely moment to be treasured. We both knew!
The Bat and Ball X1 captain seemed rather nonplussed to be playing this motley crew of cricketers – the first Scottish team to play at Broadhalfpenny, and with a name like Holy Cross Academicals!We were desperate not to let our country down and, despite an acute awareness of the occasion, gave a decent account of ourselves.
With two balls left in our innings we lost a wicket. I was next in – I was going to bat at Broadhalfpenny Down!
As I headed from the pavilion, the home captain exploded: “Oh for God’s sake, there’s only one ball left, what’s the point!”
Brian as skipper stood up and shouted: “Oh let him have his bat!”. In other circumstances it may have sounded patronising, in Brian’s case it was kindness. He knew!
Having survived my only ball at Hambledon, I was absolutely delighted to capture the opposition captain’s wicket with my best ever caught and bowled during the home side’s innings. I dedicated that to Brian!
In another quintessential Palmer move, he called on his great friend, Chris Kerr, to bowl an over or so of his leg breaks. Having a shoulder injury, Chris would have to bowl underarm – bringing much excitement to the local statistician who opined that it was the first time underarm bowling had been seen at Hambledon in almost two hundred years – another magical moment.
Others will have many more tales of Brian from the wider elements of his highly accomplished life – but that kindness, tolerance and understanding has always resonated for me in the limited areas in which our lives overlapped.
At Broadhalfpenny, the clouds gathered and evening rain swept in across the downs, ensuring an honour satisfying drawn game. Leaving the field, I paused to take in the moment – a life highlight made possible by Brian’s kindness.
Far below as the Hampshire Downs swept away from us, in the gathering gloaming, there were the lights of many tractors as they hurried to try and save the hay before the rain ruined their chances.
It was positively Hardy-esque, a goosebumps moment.
And it occurs to me, if that novel about Brian had ever been written, Thomas Hardy would have been the man to do it, featuring this unique man rooted in a solid landscape to which he remained honest and true – his father’s son, his own man, but a friend to so many.
I am so glad I knew this most decent of blokes – and, with affection, I will miss his wisdom, wit, and kindness.
Thanks to the efforts of Hugh Kilpatrick, the club has access to all 1st XI scorecards from 1950-2008.
Hugh did an amazing job of putting together a fantastic resource for the club. We are currently investigating whether Hugh's records can be transferred to a more up-to-date stats system. If so, we can then start the process of filling the gap between 2008 and the present. Over those 71 years the club has been involved in several classic matches.
To kick us off here's a memorable match that will have stuck in the memories of those who played in it. I remember it fondly-the atmosphere in our changing room afterwards was one of disbelief and elation.
The match took place at Bangour Hospital near Livingston in 1998.
The abandoned cricket pavilion at Bangour Hospital
Here how I reflected on the match at the time
16th May 1998, 1st XI vs
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| Full scorecard from the match. |
Not only have we lost some great Crossers in recent years but we also lost this symbol of the club. I think this photo (by Mark Brown) sums up the club beautifully - it would surely make an ideal front cover for the club history...
A summary of today's Holy Cross ACC AGM - held on Zoom.
In his presidential comments, Mahmood Din reflected on the sad loss of club legend Colin McGill last year- 'he could be a pain in the ass but made a massive contribution to the club in his various roles'. Looking forward to the coming season with some optimism, Din was confident that 'will get some cricket, if not anything like a normal season'.
Club Secretary Jon Bates talked of the substantial storm damage suffered by the clubhouse in March 2020. The rugby club had been proactive and their efforts had returned the clubhouse to its original condition. Some donations from HX members had assisted with this work.
He said that the recent statement from Cricket Scotland gave 'some reasons for optimism’. Now that it had been established that cricket was a non-contact sport, it seems likely that it could make an earlier return than last year. Though there will, again, be no indoor nets.
ESCA's latest statement suggested there was no point in organising fixtures until April when the situation would become clearer. There will likely to be some issues regarding Edinburgh Leisure grass pitches as there was a push to move the start of the football season forward. Given likely travel restrictions, there might be a need for some regionalisation- at least in the early weeks of the season. From ESCA's point of view, a season of 12 or 14 weeks would be needed to constitute proper season with relegation and promotion.
In his treasurer's report, Jon stated that: 'the financial position of the club is robust'.
Ben Reiss reported on the first XI who played 7 games- 3 intra-club matches and 4 friendlies. As he put it, 'everyone was grateful to get out of the house and into the open'. They had been a successful set of matches, with two particularly enjoyable games against Stewarts Melville. 40 players had offered their availability at points during the season - out of a mailing list of 108. All the midweek games had been rained off and there had been no second XI fixtures.
Elections
Other topics discussed included the memorial match for Colin McGill which will hopefully take place this coming season. It is intended that Holy Cross players from past and present will take part as well as some of the ESCA players closest to Colin (from Marchmont, Heriots etc).
Mention was made of the fantastic archive which the late Hugh Kilpatrick had put together- both his physical and computer records, as well as memorabilia. Chris Kerr will be in contact with the family regarding the physical records, while Ken Lawrie will try and transfer Hugh's computer records into a more modern and accessible format. There was a hope that some of Hugh's photos could be displayed in the clubhouse- in the Green Room.
Mention was made of updating the HX website. This will hopefully happen soon, with some of Mark Brown's excellent photos being added. There will hopefully be scope for some of Hugh Kilpatrick's photo archive to be added.
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